Desolate Hope
by DenMoother
Summary: PontyPandy falls victim to the Third World War after a series of bombings level the sea-side town to almost nothing. Sam emerges from the rubble surprisingly unharmed but has lived several years in isolation that was until he comes across Arnold and Elvis. The question on everyone's minds is who all survived? What madman is out to get them? Collab with Mo Will
1. Chapter 1

**Hello den children**

 **I am back with another story...much to my dismay. I am taking a small break from Hunter's Tale. I've run into the same problems that I had with OTBT in a sense to where I'm not sure how to continue it or I'm having a series case of writer's block.**

 **This story is different from some of the other ones that I've done. I can safely say that this is the first time that I've ever written a story based on a roleplay that I am either doing or have done.**

 **I am very pleased to show you guys this upcoming project that me and Mo Will have been working on. I highly recommend you guys check out her work because it does mean a lot to newer authors when people do.**

 **I do have some conditions in regards to my review section**

 **1.) I would really love to see some feedback not just "I loved it" or "update plz" please let me know what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy about the story. Let me know how I can further improve myself as a writer**

 **2.) refrain from asking things like: "can you pair this person with this person?" or "when is the next update?!" If you have a question to ask me, please make sure that is an educated one.**

 **3.) I will be issuing a ZERO tolerance policy for those who beg for updates. The policy is as follows**

 **-You will be issued a warning for your first offense**

 **\- the second time you beg for updates, I will be blocking you no questions asked.**

 **I am doing this for my sanity and for the sake of others.**

 **Thank you guys for understanding...hopefully...**

 **-Hosty**

Chapter One: the day the earth stood still

 _The year is now 2018…_

 _The world has been ravished by a sea of violence. Peace between nations shattered after an event caused by a vicious dictator. Everyone turned on each other causing mass panic and war. Nations bombed each other leveling everything to the ground. PontyPandy soon fell victim to this war. We watched as our town was bombed to nearly nothing. I have no clue if anyone survived the bombing. I've been trapped down underneath one of the buildings for a few years. I managed to survive on whatever supplies I've had left._

 _The skies above me are a dark orange. I can no longer see the sun or feel it's warmth. This just isn't right. Why did they pick us of all people to attack? What did we do to deserve this?_

 _To anyone who finds this journal…_

 _I pray that you are able to help us…._

Fire billowed into the sky licking the air with its vile tongue. The wind wailed through the empty buildings calling out to any listening ears. The dark gray smoke plotted out any visible light for miles. A ginger haired man stirred from his makeshift cot. He licked his dried lips. He reached for his canteen which sat on the box next to him. The canteen felt light as he lifted it up. He let out a groan of annoyance. "Looks like I'm going to have to head out again." The man tossed his canteen into a bag. He slung it over his shoulder. Sam peered in through the cracks in the basement door. His eyes narrowed against the bright light. Embers slowly floated down from the sky. He pushed the doors open slowly. He tossed his bag up ahead of him as he climbed out of the hole. He grunted getting to his feet. "Now what would be the best place to look?" he wondered. Sam stumbled off into an alleyway. He kept his empty bag close to him. Loneliness tugged at his heart. The years he spent in isolation was finally catching up to him. His eyes ached to cry. He wanted to yell his grief into the empty air.

The skies rumbled loudly. A flash of silver appeared in the sky. Sam quickly dove into the darkness. It was a set of jets searching for survivors. They disappeared into the cover of the clouds. Sam continued to stay out of sight in case they came back. It pained Sam to see his beloved hometown in a decrypted sight. His heart twinged painfully. Sam had lost a lot of weight. Most of his muscular frame was gone. The days he spent hiding weren't enough to keep him in top shape. He went through the various homes and buildings in search of supplies. He found loaves of stale bread, cans of food, and some meats that were still edible. He squatted near the busted water main and gathered the water that was spouting of it. He cupped some of the water in his hands. He brought it up to his parched lips. "Hello?! Is anyone there?" called a voice in the darkness. Sam's body tensed up. His eyes scanned the surrounding area. A dark shape drew closer to him. Sam poised, ready to flee. He wasn't going to risk getting caught or killed. The shape steadily came closer to him. Sam backed away. He grabbed his bag tossing it onto his back. "Wait!" yelled the voice. The shape stepped out of the darkness. Sam relaxed the minute he saw Arnold. Poor Arnold was very weak. "Arnold? Is that you?" Arnold nodded. "Is anyone else with you?" asked Sam hopefully. "I haven't seen the others but Elvis is with me. He isn't well though." Sam grew concerned. "Mentally? Physically? Or emotionally?" "He's scared, Sam. He's just scared. Not scared enough to lose his mind but scared enough to not venture out on his own." Sam nodded in understanding. "Take me to him."

Arnold and Sam walked for a little bit. One of the houses behind them collapsed releasing a wave of heat. The heat teased the air on the back of Sam's neck. Arnold pushed over a wooden plank revealing a hole that leads down underneath the foundations of one of the houses. The hole was very dark. Sam hopped down into the basement. Arnold hopped down next to him. He covered the hole up again. "Elvis?" whispered Arnold. Sam heard something move. "Arnold?" "Elvis, I found Sam. He's going to take care of us. We aren't alone!" Arnold heard Elvis let out a sigh of relief. "Where is he? I can't see him?" Arnold turned on the light. The generator outside hummed quietly. The lights flickered on. Elvis narrowed his eyes against the light. Elvis was laying on a makeshift cot. The youngster looked pale and just as thin as Arnold. Fear showed in his eyes. Sam knelt down next to him. "Sam." the young firefighter tossed his arms around his mentor's shoulders. Sam could feel the bones poking out of Elvis' skin. "you guys haven't eaten in a while have you?" Arnold shook his head. Sam set his bag down on the floor. "there should be some food in there. Tuck in." Arnold opened up the bag. "you sure?" Sam just nodded.

Sam sat near Elvis and Arnold. He watched them eat their fair share of the rations he had. "did you manage to find Station Officer Steele or even Penny?" Arnold dropped his gaze. "no. We haven't managed to find anyone apart from you." Elvis started shaking again. He quit eating altogether. "Elvis, you need to keep your strength up," whispered Sam. Elvis shook his head. "I'm too scared to. I don't want to be here. Our home is gone." Elvis burst out into tears. Sam moved over to him. He pulled Elvis into his lap. He rocked him back and forth. Elvis soon started to calm down. "Arnold, can you stay here with Elvis? I'm going to see if I can't find us more supplies."

Sam pushed the wooden slab out of the way. He pulled himself up onto the surface. The wind howled through the hollowed buildings. Fire still continued to burn. Sam noticed that there were cracks in the pavement revealing a magma-like material. Sam danced over the cracks in order to avoid burning his feet. He searched the empty town for a couple of hours before stumbling upon something shining from one of the houses. Sam rushed over to the house. Water trickled down from the cracks in the floors. The roof above him showed the orange sky with a dark yellow ring in it. He picked up the shining object and discovered it to be a water jug that could hydrate three people. It still had about a half gallon in it. "good. We can use this." Sam put the jug into his bag. He slung his bag over his shoulder and continued scouting the surrounding area. He found a few more bandages and things that they really needed. He thought was in the clear up until a bolt of light shined down from the sky. Sam quickly ducked behind the wall of one of the houses he was in. The light stayed in place for a few more minutes before moving away in a straight line. Sam watched the light carefully. The light then slowly vanished. Sam heard the all-to-familiar roar of a jet engine. "search drone." he whispered.

Sam made it back to Arnold's hideout. He tossed his bag down to Arnold. Arnold moved so Sam could jump down next to him. "we need to move." Arnold looked at Sam. "why?" Sam walked over to Elvis. He picked Elvis up carefully. "I just saw a search drone which means we need to get to higher ground. They could be coming this way any minute." Elvis whimpered softly. He held onto his mentor's back. Arnold grabbed the rest of their things before joining Sam outside. "the fire station is one of the safest places in PontyPandy. We should go there first." suggested Sam. He sat Elvis on his back. Arnold nodded. "you lead, I'll follow."

The Fire Station stood out against the darkened sky. The once green fields were now browned by the radiation. The paint on the outside of the fire station was faded from years of abandonment. Arnold helped Sam clear some of the rubble away from the door. "I'm surprised that the fire station is still standing." murmured Arnold. Sam chucked a metal beam away from the pile. "it was built to withstand the constant winds we had. I just hope that the inside is in good condition." Sam carried Elvis up the steps with Arnold on his heels. "Penny? Ellie? Station Officer Steele?" called Sam quietly. He got no response. All he got back was the silent ambiance. Sam laid Elvis down on the couch. "I hope I wasn't too heavy." whimpered Elvis. "no you weren't, which is starting to worry me. Arnold, see if you can't find any more rations. I think there might be something in the kitchen. I'm going to see if I can't get the generator running. No telling how long we are going to be here for."

Elvis leaned up against the back of the couch. His rapid heart would not calm down. Fear had taken over his mind. The lights flickered dimly. Sam reappeared from the downstairs area. "we are in luck. The solar panels seem to still be working." Arnold let out a sigh of relief. Sam sat down next to Elvis. He pulled his friend close. Elvis trembled in his grasp. "why us?" he whispered. "why PontyPandy? What did we do?" Sam rubbed Elvis' back gently. "I don't know, Elvis. The world has been dying for a while. All we can do is cherish the time we have left." Elvis rested his arms against Sam's sides. "just try to get some rest. We can work out what to do in the morning or whatever time we get up. The sun has been gone for so long I don't know what time of day it is anymore." Sam laid his head on the back of the couch. He felt Elvis settle down to rest. He kept his arms wrapped tight around him as the two drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: His silence is my own

 _Dark colored planes started entering PontyPandy's airspace. Sam watched them from the top floor of the fire station. A dark feeling started to grow in his stomach. The horizon soon became filled with bright light. Sam held his arm over his eyes to keep some of the light out. He watched as it engulfed the small town. Sam gasped. He rushed downstairs to try and check on his brother. He felt the ground underneath him shatter. He gripped onto the ledge trying desperately to hold on. "help!" shouted Sam. He continued to cry for help. His voice slowly becoming lost in the incoming destruction._

Sam snapped awake. He sat up all the way on the couch panting. Elvis slowly stirred from his sleep. "Sam? What's wrong?" he asked. "nothing. I just had a nightmare is all." The wind howled rattling the windows. Dark orange mist swirled in front of the yellowed glass. Elvis pulled away from Sam allowing him to sit up all the way. "I want you to stay here with Arnold. I'm going to head out and see if I can't find anyone else. We'll also need extra supplies if we are going to stay here for a long time." Elvis nodded. He clenched the blanket firmly in his hands. Sam headed downstairs. He grabbed his firefighting uniform off the hook. It was lightly covered in dust. He shook the dust off it. He then put it on. He grabbed his helmet off the shelf. He wiped the dust from it before putting it on. He let out a small sigh. His uniform felt foreign to him now. It had been ages since he last put it on. He carefully made his way outside.

Magma welled up from the cracks in the ground. The sky was still covered in a dark orange haze. Sam carefully walked down the hill. He couldn't help but get this sense of dread. He hated the fact that the town was like this now. Sam checked the various houses and buildings. He did manage to find more supplies for them to use. What disturbed him was the lack of living persons in the town. "this is ridiculous." he muttered. "I better head back. I can't leave Arnold and Elvis unprotected for long. Something tells me that I shouldn't linger here any more than I need to." Sam headed back to the fire station. He walked up the stairs and into the lounge. Elvis was sitting on the couch. "How are you feeling Elvis?" he asked. Elvis could only nod. True terror was painted clearly on his face. Sam walked over to Arnold who was reading a book on sign language. "what's up with Elvis? He was talking to us yesterday." Arnold lowered the book he had in his hand. "his condition got worse while you were away. Elvis went outside to stretch his legs when he tripped and fell into one of the holes. When he landed he came across a child corpse. He got scared and well, that's how he went silent." explained Arnold. Sam paled. "were you able to identify the body?" Arnold stayed quiet. He dropped his gaze. "was it, someone, we knew?" Arnold nodded. Sam gritted his teeth. "damn it!" he spat. "I'm so sorry, Sam," whispered Arnold. "I tried everything I could for them. I wasn't able to revive them." Sam sniffed. "not your fault. This whole damn war has turned everything into a mess." Arnold placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to go out and make sure they have a proper burial. I'll be back."

Sam sat down on the couch with Elvis. Elvis looked up at his mentor. He shifted uncomfortably. He hated the fact that Sam hadn't said a word to him. He nudged Sam's side gently with his shoulder. Sam snapped out of his thoughts. Elvis tilted his head to the side. "I'm fine, Elvis. Look why don't we try to watch some TV?" he suggested. Elvis shrugged. Sam got up from the couch. He needed something to distract him from the news that he had just heard. The dish on the roof of the fire station still worked surprisingly. The dish was able to pick up on a faint satellite signal. Sam flipped it over to the news. He had to know about what was happening in the rest of the world.

 _BBC News at 12_

 _The UN plans on meeting today to discuss the effects of nuclear warfare and possible housing for the refugees. War is still flourishing in other parts of the world including out on the open waters which has made fishing unsafe. Health officials have urged citizens to not eat any of the shellfish due to radiation concerns. Health officials have also urged citizens to stay away from infected areas. Officials are worried about the latest strain of infection that has been sweeping the world._

 _If you see anyone with signs of the infection please contact your local law enforcement._

Sam gulped painfully. The disturbing news was kind of hard to swallow. Elvis shrunk closer to Sam. He buried his face into Sam's side.

 _People are blaming the war on extreme terrorist groups and Moonblood organizations. Leaders of the Moonblood organizations have stated that they had nothing to do with bombings. They've also agreed to meet with the UN to discuss this matter._

Sam turned the TV off. "the whole world has gone mad." he whispered. He looked down at Elvis. He wrapped an arm around him. "don't worry. We are safe here." Deep down Sam felt a sense of hopelessness growing. By the gods did he was that statement was true. He wanted to give Elvis some sort of hope that things were going to be okay. It troubled him that he wasn't able to do that. In fact, he started to question his own logic. He felt less like a hero now. Arnold soon came back. He dusted the soil off of his clothes. "the deed is done." he took a quick look outside. He noticed that the sky outside had darkened some. "we better get some rest. No sense in being tired."

Arnold got his cot set up near the window. Sam got his set up near the stairs in case anyone tried to break in. Sam listened to the sound of Arnold snoring. He found it hard to really sleep. His body was on edge from the news he had just heard. He pulled the blanket tighter around him. A storm of emotions was growing within him. He couldn't keep the tears back anymore. He allowed himself to shed a few. He felt a set of arms go around his waist. Sam wiped his tears away quickly. He turned over onto his side. Elvis had cuddled up to him. Sam stroked his hair gently. He pulled Elvis close. The two of them slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

 _Sam laid on his side in the middle of the street. His whole right side completely screwed up. He slowly started to open his eyes. Fire danced around him. Magma pooled up in the freshly made cracks. Water spouted into the sky creating an orange-colored rainbow. Sam coughed as he tried to sit up. His sides immediately started to hurt him. Bits of glass covered his body. He carefully dusted them off. "hello?" he called. "Hello?! Anyone here?! Charlie?! Sarah?! James?!" all he got was silence. The wind howled swirling the orange mist that hung heavily in the air. Sam staggered out of the house he had been in at the time of the explosion. He nearly fell to his knees when he saw what it was like outside. Houses and buildings had been leveled. Some of them continued to stand like jagged fangs amongst the destruction. His foot stumbled across something soft. He looked down only to fall over backwards. The bodies of his family members laid in front of him._

Sam panted sitting upright. He held his face in his hands as he tried to shake off the dream he had just witnessed. He tried to deny what he saw. "they have to be safe." he whispered. "they have to be." He covered Elvis up in the blanket. He decided to sit on the steps and keep guard. There was no way that he was going to go back to sleep anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: We aren't alone

The sun set slowly on the horizon. That didn't stop the random ambient light from glowing though. The light shined through the broken windows at the cafe. The building reverberated the roar of the winds outside. The walls stood mute. The paint on the walls has long since gone due to the radiation and lack of human presence. A long-haired dog was resting in the basement. He perked his ears only to hear the sound of the wind coming through the windows. He whined softly and got to his paws. He shook the grit out from his fur. He walked upstairs only to duck down as a search light peered through the bits of broken glass. He waited for the light to disappear before reappearing again. He listened out for voices as he padded into the kitchen. His broken claws tapped the tile floor quietly. His breathing labored from the years worth of being hidden in some pretty dusty areas. Small clouds of dust came rolling off of his dried tongue.

He began rummaging around for food. He hooked his paws on an ice box in the corner. He could smell the fish that was still inside of it. He pushed down on the handle causing the door to open. He quickly reached in with his muzzle and pulled out some of the fish. He took them down in the basement with him. The fish made his jaws water in anticipation. This was the only decent meal he had in weeks. He finished eating his loot in the basement. The wind picked up again outside. The dog listened as the wind kicked some of the loose asphalt into the cafe. He whimpered quietly. The fish only brought a little relief to his dried tongue. He decided to head outside to see if he could perhaps find a water puddle somewhere close by.

The dog poked his head out through the door. He dodged the incoming wall of dust that blew past the door. He then pushed his body through the door. It took a bit of effort but he was soon outside. His fur prickled up against the incoming warmth. The air had been electrified by the storm. He started walking away from the cafe keeping his back to it. His sensitive ears picked up on the sound of a broken water main nearby. The noise was music to his ears. He climbed over the shattered bits of road. The broken water main had created a puddle large enough to fill one of the holes. The dog perched by the hole and lowered his head. The water tasted dusty but the dog didn't mind. He didn't care as long as it was still kind of drinkable. His ears perked up again when he heard something fall in an alleyway nearby. He pulled away from the puddle. He hid behind one of the upturned cars. Two soldiers came staggering out of the alleyway. "watch where you are going, shithead!" snapped one. "Sorry! There's just so much shit lining the streets! Didn't think there would be so much of it." said the other. "well keep your ears and eyes peeled. I heard from command that there are survivors still lingering in the area." "what do they expect us to do about it? Why don't we just let them die out on their own?" "because dummy, that's not how war works. Just shut up and help me get this crate secured. I can't wait to send these babies out onto the streets."

The dog didn't stick around for much longer. He waited for the soldiers to continue about their business before running out of his hiding place. He made a mad dash for an alleyway. He panted and casted a quick glance over his shoulder. He sighed happily seeing as the soldiers hadn't of detected him. The winds started to pick up. The sand started to irritate the edge of his nose. _Toxic storm. I better get moving._ He thought. He took off running again. Huge storm clouds rolled over the barren hills whipping up a cloud of dust as far as the eye could see. Gas mixed with the clouds making it hard to breathe. He quickly dove into the cafe and jumped down in the basement. The storm hit the city tearing through the vacant walls of nearby houses. Sam heard the glass on the window frame move. He quickly got to his feet. He looked out the window just in time to see the town fade from his view. The clouds of dust blocked out light from the street lamps. Sam couldn't even see the shoreline through the clouds. He stepped away from the window. He was all too familiar with toxic storms and the damage they caused. He sat back down on the stairs listening to the storm rage on outside.

A few, long hours go by...

The storm outside had finally died down. The quiet ambiance outside continued to echo at high volumes. Sam fell asleep resting his head against the railing. "Sam?" Sam's body jolted upright. Arnold was standing behind him. "why are you sleeping on the stairs?" Sam shrugged. "someone has to keep you two safe." Sam stood up. He felt his back pop in protest. "anyway, Elvis and I are going to head outside to see if we can't find any supplies. I promise that I will keep Elvis safe." Sam yawned. "alright. Just don't get yourselves killed. I don't feel like having to bury two more people. I'm going to try and see if I can't get a comms link going. I wonder if Chief Fire Officer Boyce or anyone from Newtown is still alive." Arnold and Elvis went downstairs to get suited up. Sam walked into the office. A faint static came through the microphone. Sam checked the screen to make sure he was on the right channel. _Newtown should have an emergency comms link. If I can just remember what channel it's on I should be able to reach somebody there. Maybe even get help in the process._ Sam shifted through Station Officer Steele's notes and paperwork. He found a folder that contained all the channel names he was going to need. He flipped through it rapidly. "here it is." He changed channels. "Sam to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Come in Boyce." Sam waited for a reply. All he got was static. "Sam to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Come in sir." Static came back through the radio again. Sam sighed setting the microphone down. He leaned back in the chair. He had hoped to get a reply from somebody in Newtown. He decided to stay near the microphone in case he got a reply back.

Meanwhile...

The bay area near Dubai was full of people trying to get in. Dubai offered to be a city for refugees. A brown haired man stared out at the darkened ocean from his boat. Aboard were two other males: Hoshi, one of his sons and Ben, a Coast Guard from PontyPandy. The three of them had arrived in Dubai to try and stay away from the destruction. That didn't stop Charlie from worrying about his wife and kids back in PontyPandy. He hoped that nothing had happened to his beloved sea-side town. A voice came through Charlie's radio. "Orion, you have been cleared for docking. Report to dock 14 please." Charlie picked up his radio. "Rodger that." He placed his radio back on the hook. Lights lined the docks making it easier to see. There weren't too many boats in the docks next to his. Ben got off the boat first. Charlie tossed a rope to him and instructed him to secure Orion to the dock.

A guard waited for the trio at the end of the dock. "this the Jones family?" he asked. Charlie nodded. "The main office will be assigning you a temporary place to stay in. Once you've passed inspection and have been checked out by our health officials, we will allow you passage into the city. Don't try anything funny though." warned the guard. Charlie placed an arm around his son. " we wouldn't dream of it." The trio made their way up a series of steps that lead up to a two-story building. Another man wearing a bright red baret greeted them at the top of the stairs. "greetings friends. I am Admiral Daud. Welcome to Dubai." He offered his hand to Charlie. "I'm Charlie Jones." He points to Hoshi. "This is my son, Hoshizora Jones, and our friend, Ben Hooper." Daud smiled. "pleasure to meet you. Why don't you follow me inside? I'll help you get settled."

Daud leads the trio inside. "We have a couple of rooms upstairs, however, you'll need to check in with medics. We'll need to inspect you for signs of the outbreak." Charlie nodded. "understandable." Daud handed Charlie a set of keys. "once you are done, you are free to go." Daud tipped his head to them. "I wish you well." He walked away from them.

Elvis was sitting on top of one of the broken cars. He waited for Arnold to come out of the house. A faint howl wailed in the distance. The hair on the back of Elvis' neck stood up. He rose to his feet. His eyes narrowed in on something moving around in the darkness. His protective instincts kicked in. He ran into the house. Arnold zipped up his bag. He felt someone slam into him. "hey! What the hell?!" Elvis placed a hand around his mouth. "shush." Elvis looked at him. "do you hear that?" he asked. Arnold looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow. "we need to move." he let go of Arnold. He handed Arnold his bag. "take it and stay close to me." Elvis and Arnold walked out of the house. Elvis heard the howl again this time it sounded closer. Elvis stood protectively in front of Arnold. Blue lights flickered through the dust. Elvis snarled softly. The lights steadily got closer. Elvis could make out a dark gray skinned figure moving rapidly towards them. Black scales erupted out of Elvis' skin. Fire started to come out of his back. The figure screeched. It jumped into the air. Elvis jumped after it. His claws made contact with the creature. The creature screeched. It swung its claws at Elvis. Elvis dodged its attack. He wrapped his arms around creature. The creature released blue dust into the air. Elvis screeched pulling away. He tried to wipe the dust away from his eyes. The creature pinned Elvis to the ground. It snarled in his face raising its claws.

 **I've been hinting at something on my deviantart and twitter for a while. As to what I'm hinting at I'm not going to reveal what that is just yet. You'll just have to keep checking my DA for more hints ;3**

 **A certain someone has a few on her DA already.**

 **But I shall leave you with this hint:**

 **Some things age with time but...**

 **prehaps some things are best left forgotten for now...**

 **make sure to read/review**

 **I strive off of feedback. The amount of feedback I get determines how frequently I will be updating.**

 **\- Tyra**


	4. Chapter 4

**Y̷̦̲̗̭̤̝͗̈̓͆̈o̷͚̤͇̅̎̀̕̚ů̶̟̻̟̾̇͝ͅ ̷̖̬̜̹͍̏h̸̞̥͛̑a̶̫͉͇̞̽̇̾̚v̵̗͔͔̠͈͒̌͝͝e̸̻͙̿͋̑ ̴͎̳̞̩̠̞̀̈́̒̐̅f̷̹͓̞̫͛ȯ̶͓̲̐ũ̵̡̟̩͖̟̝ņ̵͓̏͘ͅd̴͙͓̙̥̣̆͜ ̷͉̺͇̖̗̂̕m̵̯̝͉̽̃̓̕ͅe̴̞̩̬̹͑̀̑̊̚ ̵̡̦̥̻̿͊͊͝b̶͓̳͇͊̓̔͠ͅȕ̵̱̫t̶̰͈̺͘ ̷̖̾̆̓͜i̶̝̠̿̄̒͜t̸͖̆͝ ̴̥̬͑́́̑̚ẉ̵͍̫̪̀͋̈͒ŏ̷͕͚̀̏̅͠u̴̗̯̯͍͎̓̈́̎͝l̸̳̥͔͓̕ͅd̸̛̻̹͗̆̉̒̒ ̴̼̕ă̷̼ṕ̵̢͙̪͈̮̾̈́͛̈͊p̸̨̙͎̒́͜e̷̢̛̳͙͓̩̞̅a̴̜̦͍̺͌r̷̝̾ ̶̞̄͂ş̴̞̲͓̪̓̍̀̚ọ̵̫̱͈̅͌̉m̸̡̺̱̰̈̓̔͐̍̚ẹ̷̏̚͜ ̸̡̡̠͇̗̳͗ì̴̢̩͈̻͚̹̍̓n̴̼͉̠̔̊ͅṣ̵̲̃ṯ̵̔͌r̵̦̳̈́̍̿ų̷̩͎̜̣̙͆c̸̢̘̘̼̫̰̀̈̃͆̅͝t̵̢̛̫̼̞̮̊͗ì̵̬̤̣̔̈́̏o̶̝͔̾̽͌͗̈́n̷̺̏̾͗̔̈́s̶̭̖͕̯̦̠͆͒̓ ̷͓̾̏͑̿͗͝h̷̫̤̤̟̱̍̉̇͜a̵̰̳͂v̸̡̛̗̗̭̅̒̎͐ȩ̷̜̯͇͍̭̈́̄̀́ ̴͕͕̼͗̈́͝n̷̩̖̊̄̈́͜ő̷̡̡̺̫̰͓͌͝t̵̡̺̫̀͜ ̴̰̃̅̀̈́̆b̵̦̣͎̳̳͍̀e̷̱̮̺͖̬͖͂ĕ̵͈̈ņ̵̣̩͇̬̿̑̓́̚ ̴̢̓̈́m̴̧̧̨̖̹̈́͋̓͠ḁ̸̧̛̩̦̫̽̒̾d̵̨̡̨̛̥̦̘̊͊̃͂̚e̶̞͙̿̾̐͝ ̴̗͔̮̫̩͐̋̂͘͜c̸̳̼͎̯̀̐͜ļ̵̯̰̙̝̑̃ȩ̶͍̗̙͖̤̐̋́ǎ̴̤͉̦͙̘͔ȓ̵̲̰̿͗.̶̤̲̝̀͠ ̴̨͗͂̋̾̄̔Ȳ̸̜̤͈͑͊̃͠ó̷̡̼̳͇͉̼u̵̼̘̻̤͚͋ͅ ̵̦̪̝̄̍̐s̵̼͛̊̈́͆̅̋h̷͔̗͎͆̑̾ǒ̶̝̌͊u̵͔̙̻͎̿͑̇͒͜l̴̬̹̾͌̐̍d̵̨̛̙̟̈́̓͗͐̽ ̶̰̅̊͜h̸̛̳̊͘͠ą̶̪̻̭̈́̋͑̌͌v̴̲͚͕̏̋̂͑̽͜͠ệ̶̈̄͒̅ ̵̧̘̠̣̎̒͗̄͌r̵͈̎ḛ̷̓́̔͂̚͝c̷̩͇͒̃ȩ̷̏̌͑͠͝͝ḯ̵̧̖̫̠̬͎͒̅̚ṿ̷̙̭̌̓͒̔͒͜e̴̢̲̞͂̆̓d̷̡̢̳̬̣̉͐̓̓ ̶̖̱̎̂̎a̶̻͔̓̄̇͗͗ ̶̱̆͋f̷̡̬̥̍̏͘o̶̗̣͉͎̜͆́̇̔l̷̢͕̰̠͓̇́ͅḋ̷̨̺͍̘͖̯e̷̝̹̪̦̺̒͐̌r̵̨̖̹͉̬͛̋͗́̈́ ̶͔̮͓̓̒͐t̸̡͚̪̰̉̀̒̒h̸̠̀͑́ą̴̦͑͑͘t̵̞̥̦̏͒ͅͅ ̸̫͆̏͛̓͝c̵̖͍̾̉͑o̵̡̹͌̈ń̷̗͕̭̝̲͋ṱ̸̡̳̦̖̙̎͐̍̓a̸̙͗̆̽̃́̋i̷̮͌̑́́̋͝n̴̡̝͆̄e̶͖͎̻̺͇̎̆̋d̶̺̖̉ ̵̡̣͇̞͇̯̆ş̶̡̥̳͋̈́̓̎̈́͘o̴̡̘̤̭̜͉̿m̸̥̺̀͆̚ȩ̵̢̭͇͈̿̃ ̶̛̰̳̬͖͊̑͆͐v̶͚̀ḁ̶̖̮̈ģ̸̖̝͖̥̞̏ǘ̷̮̗̰̗̱͆̓͛̕̕e̶̠̠̙͎̱̗̓͗ ̷̻̭̬̘̩̐͒i̴̘̩̼͉͖̪̍̕n̴̢̟̳̼͒́̑̀̅f̸̢̛̹̩̈́̍̋͋̚ö̸̗̗̱̠̺̒̈́̈̎̀r̸̹͋̇͋ͅm̶̠͝a̴̢̫̙͑̇͌̃́̕ṭ̶̢̛͈͓̲̘̔i̷̧̢̛͓̳̺̮̾̍o̵̫̪̟̓̓̏n̶̬̬͛̏.̴͎̻͙̠̳̄ ̴͙̇̾̚͜Ī̸̤̮͖͍́̀͝ ̸̥̞̳͈̭̌͋͐́́͜k̴̖̮͕̣͕̏̾̌̈́ͅñ̸̢̼̼͉̈́ö̷̡́̅̾̈́͐̚ŵ̵̡ ̶̡̳́́͗̍̇͠y̷̧̨̹̓o̸̡͓͙̳͌ȕ̶̧̟̝̱̑̀̒͌ ̴̡̨̣̠̘͎̈̈́̇͗͋̑a̶̧̢̳͕̫̤̽̎́̄͠ř̷̝̝̟̟̠̌̈ê̵̡̘̦̻̽̂̉ ̷̤̠̮̪̳̇̊́̓̏̈c̸̳̫̣̕o̶̢̻̱͔̞̓̾̓̚n̶̼͑͆̉f̸̛͒̕̕͜͝u̸̞͈̝͝s̸̡̮͚̫͈̼̃͆̋̾̔͝ẽ̸̢̧̘̰̲̎͝d̶̨̪͍̱̟́̂͝ ̴̨̮̗̲̼̀́̈́r̸̪̤͇̱̻͘í̵͖̞̱̟̈́͝g̷̤̰͂̔͌̚h̴͍̖͕͍͎̓̔̃͝t̴̯͎͍͙͂ ̷̢̥̲̟̣̠̈̉̀̋͒̔n̵̡̻̠̥͎͇̾͆̅͘͘o̵̡̟͉̳̾͐̕͜w̴̢͔̬͉̎̊͋̉ ̸̞̈͝b̷͖̔̎̈ű̵̘̺͒̉ṭ̶̃̃̈̂͋̈ ̴͚͓̹͉̝͑̅̌͛͝͝t̵̢͉̜̱̟̝͌͠h̷̦͇̄͋̎͗i̵̡̮͆ń̶̨̧̻̲̺͓͛̑̃̚͝g̷̩͗̈́̉̏s̷̗̗̦͕̬̘͛́̕ ̵̪̜̲̟̋̀ẃ̴̭̐ȉ̵̹̉̆̇͘͝l̴̥͖̪̐̾̈́̄͌̽l̷̰̦̐̄̌̍ ̸͕̖͙͇͉̫̍r̸̡̟̳̗̅̃͜e̶̫͉̳̪̿̃͆̚̚v̶̢̧̼̞͝ḙ̴̺̳̀̆̔ạ̵̣͂͛̓͗l̷̝̞̜͂̈ ̴̝͍́̇̑͛ǐ̶͖̯̼̑̆͊t̵̛̤̒̌s̷̤̩͙͓͚̘̎̈́̈́̒e̶̹̦͈͖̬͂̅̓͑̚͠l̷͎̆̐͛f̴̡͙̩͇̍̐͋̀̈́ ̸̛̝̗͉̮̼̎ĩ̴̛͕̤̯̥n̴̙̥̠̒ ̸̧̠̖͓̝̣̇͆̌t̶̳̲̗͖̘̮̿͑̂̚͝į̵͍̌̂̕m̶̨̳̞̱͂̓ë̴̲̠̤́̂͆͝.̶̬̼̱̌̆̚͠ ̵̰͋́̈̑I̶͓̔̀́t̷̙̓̀͒ ̵̨͙̮͈͎̽̕w̸̞̖̼̹̩̝̒ọ̵̜̲͑́̀̃̕͜ư̴̪̯̻̩̄͑͛͒ļ̵̪̗̒͑̊͠d̴̼̣̭͑̐͂́̆ ̵͇͎͔̎͆̈́͜b̶̢̓͌ẹ̴̫̊͆̉ ̵͉̗̗͉̲͒͝a̴̧͕̥̥͍̐̉̄g̶͇͈̣͝a̶̘̦̗̖̅͛̂͝ì̸̧̈͌ņ̸̜̾̒̿̚s̶̭̲̥̝̣̘̎ṫ̸̫̙̘͖͓̃̓̓̓̒ ̸̣̙̯̫́͑̕̕̕m̶͚͔͍͊̇͆͠͝y̶̟͛̽̀͌̚ ̵̖̍p̷̩̺͎̣̞̍͒͊̈́̈͝ͅr̸̘͇͉̹̼͙͛̈́̆͑͑͠o̷̙̙̪̥̫̓͗̈́̀̾̈́ǵ̶̛̣̩̫̺͒̅͜͝r̷̟̤͔̲̼͂̓̊̄͘ͅa̵͔̬͎̭͆̏̉͂m̸̨̲͕̝̝̜͆̂̐̃͘͝m̸̩͔͇͇̬͌̈́̈́̕i̷͙͔̱̇͝n̵͎͎̯̱̾ͅͅġ̷̨͠ ̵͔͓̑ͅt̸̩͂ó̵̢̨̼̌̍̈́ ̸̥̩̦̏̈́͆̍͊̓b̴̡̛͎͉͈͚͐̾͂̈́͝ͅe̷̮̟̦͑̋͒̀ ̷̻̞͖͒͜͝ã̷̡̬̭͉̮̓b̸͉͓͇̺͓͚͒̋̒͑̇ḻ̵̨̟̫͇̂̄̀͛̆ê̵̡̐͝ ̸̢̢̞̀̈́͛̕͝ͅt̸̡͎͆̇͌̎͘o̶̟̭̳̠̾̾͜ ̸̮̼̹͐̀̿͝g̷̪͕̲̳̤̽̈̾́͘i̶̢͙̼͐̓̐̀v̶̳̣̗̟̠̈͂̎̆͝ͅē̷̩̥͕͂̏̓̊͐ ̸͈̚ͅf̸̥͕͙͎́̌̓͋́͝u̸̙͓̎͗r̸͇͙̈́͋͆͑t̵͚̣̳̝͋͂̉͊͜͝͝ḧ̶͙́̀̾ê̵͎̪͓̦̄͗r̷̻̳̅̒̋̌̄ ̶̝̟̮̓̽i̶̧̭̎̾̊͊͂n̸̻̹̻̯̝̒f̷̧̖̄͋̉͘͝ö̷̬̬̟͎̤̅͆͂̈͝r̷̪̼̼̣̯̀̑͠͝m̴̞̿͝å̶̠̭̙̟̲̔̿͆̎͘͜ţ̵͎̩̟̣̌͊͛̃i̸̢̙͕̇͗ó̴͖̟̰̘͕́͜n̸̬̮̝̏̈̌.̵̙̟͙̺̺̋̔́͝ ̸̺̪̯̋̈̾̓͐̿ͅ**

 **̷̝̒̌͌̌͊͘**

 **̷̖̈́̓**

 **̴̦͖͉̃̋B̶̖͇͔͔̰̃̕u̶͚̐̆̾̽͛t̵̛̜̼̥͎̃̋ ̸̖̫̪̼̥̙̀͊͆r̷̛̯̳͇̯̉͒̀͒̔e̴̡̛̱̜̪̜͒͋̔̕̕m̸̢̱͉͉̿͗̐̈̕e̴̦̞̳͚͍̭͌͠ḿ̵͉̫͊̍̓̕b̵͉̮̹̌̈̂ê̶͙̪̤͖̠̚̚ṙ̶̲͚̀̐̽̾.̷̡̱̤̥̈́̀̕.̴̘̲̼͂͑̋͂͘.̸͈̳̀̔͐̅̾͒**

 **̶̠͚̦̙͐̀͘͘**

 **̷̨̪͖̯̤̓̏Y̶̨̺̝͐̌̌̽̚͘ó̴̰̝͚͂̓͊̏ȗ̵̢̪̣̔̚ ̶̨̼̭̌͜ŏ̶̜̮̖̇͑̇n̴͖͑ͅļ̴͕͗̂y̴̖̫̙͌̈́̅̒̔ ̴̤̙̳̈́̔̉ĥ̴̪̃̏ä̴̮͎̩̖͒́̆͠v̵͈̄͋̈́͛̕͠e̵̻͉̠͋͑͊͌͜ ̸̧̫̦͙̤̫̇̔͐͑̋Ó̶̟̊͑n̶̫̘̣̥̞͊̾̾ͅê̶̠͍̥̥̗ ̶͇̟̦̈Ç̵̹̘̗̺͒̄̈͋̚̚h̶͔͑̀͘a̶͚̹̱̤̅̈́̀̽̚ṅ̷͉̮̃́̚͝c̶̮̘͕͈͒ͅe̵̛̠̞̪̽̅͝**

Chapter Four: It's Times Like These.

Sam heard a high pitched howl wail in the distance. The howl sent chills down his spine. He heard the door to the fire station slam open. Arnold was half dragging, half carrying Elvis up the stairs. He kicked the door closed with his foot. "Sam!" he shouted. Sam ran downstairs. He gasped seeing the condition Elvis was in. "what the hell happened out there?" He helped Arnold carry Elvis into the lounge. "we were attacked. I'm not sure how to describe it though." Sam applied light pressure onto the scar Elvis had on his chest. "find me a first aide kit and quickly." Sam looked down at Elvis. Elvis whimpered softly in pain. "don't worry Elvis. I'll get you fixed up." Arnold handed Sam the first aide kit. Sam opened it up. He pulled out a couple of bandages. He wrapped them around Elvis' chest. He then did the same to Elvis' arm. "there. All better." Elvis sighed. He laid his head down on a pillow. Sam cleaned up his mess before putting the first aide kit on the table. "I think next time I need to come with you guys. I'd hate for one of you to end up dead." Arnold nodded. Sam looked out the window. He could make out a pair of glowing eyes searching the streets. He moved away from the window ducking down. He waited a bit before looking out the window again. The pair of glowing eyes vanished. Whatever was looking for Elvis and Arnold was gone now. Sam let out a small sigh. "you two should get some rest. It's going to be a while before anyone finds us out here anyway. I just tried using the comms..no luck." Arnold frowned. "I just hope someone finds us eventually."

Sam went to check on the comms radio again. A static voice came through:

 _?: Cardiff Fire Station to Newtown Fire Station, come in Newtown._

Sam heard a familiar voice come through the radio.

 _Boyce: We read you very loud and clear, Cardiff. Over._

Sam picked up the comms radio. He interrupted the conversation between Boyce and the Cardiff Fire Department.

 _Firefighter Sam to both Fire Stations. Can you read me? Over._

 _Boyce: Sam? I read you. Where are you?_

 _Sam: I'm at the fire station with Firefighters Cridlington and McKinley. I've been trying to reach you for most of the morning._

 _Boyce: Excellent! I knew someone from PontyPandy had to be alive. Let me clear the air with Cardiff, Sam, and then I'll be right with you._

Sam could hardly contain himself. Finally, a chance for them to escape.

 _Boyce: Sam, I'll be sending some of my men over to you. I want you here as quickly as possible. Station Officer Steele and Firefighter Morris appear to be missing. The only PontyPandy firefighter I have here is Firefighter Phillips._

 _Sam: Understood sir. Hope to hear from you soon. Out._

A light dangled above Station Officer Steele's head. His vision blurred in and out of focus. His hands were bound to the chair behind him. The door in front of him opened. "hello Norris." greeted a voice coldly. Station Officer Steele slowly looked up. His face marked by the scars he had received. "Shall we start this again?" sneered the man. Steele coughed. "there's no need for this. Why are you doing this to us?" The man only laughed. "I'm only doing as the boss says. It's nothing personal." The man held Steele's head upwards. "I'd hate to have messed you up again. You seem to last longer than your little female friend. Luckily, the torture method I have for you is a little bit less messy than my usual." He dragged Steele out of the room. He took Steele down the hall and into another room. A wooden plank laid in the middle of the room on the table. There were black straps on the plank. The man removed Steele from the chair. He then fastened Steele to the board. "just wait here and my little friends will be here to have fun with you." The man then walked out of the room.

Steele laid in silence for several moments. The door opened again. Figures stood all around Steele. One of them covered Steele's head with a cloth. They put another one over his mouth. Steele struggled to get out of his bindings. One of the men poured a bucket of water over the cloth in his mouth. Steele coughed. Some of the water landed in his mouth. He gagged spitting it out. They kept this up for several, long hours. He blacked out after a while.

Steele woke up in his cell the next day. He heard the door to the cell next to his open. They dumped a blonde haired female into it. She curled up into a ball in the center of the floor. Her body was covered in cuts. Steele moved over to her. "Penny?" The female stirred. She looked at him. "Station Officer Steele?" she rasped. He reached for her. She moved closer to him. "just hang in there. We'll get through this." he promised. He looked at the wounds on her body. "just hold in there."

The sun hung low in the sky. A soft breeze blew through the cracks in the cafe roof. The dog perked his ears listening to it. His stomach growled quietly. The dog sighed and got to his feet. He padded into the kitchen. He hooked his claws on the handle and opened the metal box that was holding the fish in it. He grabbed a couple of them from the box. He slammed the door with his back feet. He quickly devoured the fish he had in his jaws. He licked his lips clean. _I should probably look around for more survivors than for a new shelter. I can't keep sleeping in the basement forever._ he thought. He squeezed through the hole in the cafe door. He padded out into the street shaking the dust from his fur. He put his nose to the air smelling it. He couldn't detect any signs of life in the area around him.

The heat produced by the radiation beat down on his back. He paused near a puddle on the ground to rest. He cringed lightly. "this water tastes disgusting!" His ears perked up. He heard voices coming from one of the buildings. He continued to listen to them. He got up from the puddle and padded closer. He sniffed the crack near the basement. "try not to move, Mandy." soothed a voice. "you'll only make your fever worse if you do." The dog's tail began to wag harshly. Finally, more survivors. He began searching for a way in. He found an open window. He dug down underneath it. He could feel the sharp splinters dig into his fur as he pushed through it. He finally made it inside. He darted downstairs. "But Dad, it hurts so much." another voice said as the dog grew closer. He saw a man tending to his sick daughter that was laying on a spare cot. He stroked her hair gently. "I wish I knew where you mother was." the man whispered. He turned around. He gasped seeing a shadow standing behind them. He picked up a metal rod. "get back!" he growled. The dog whimpered. He got down. He moved into the light showing off his dark gold fur. The man let out a sigh of relief. "Winter! Don't scare us like that!" he dropped the rod in his hand.

Winter laid by Mandy. He could feel how hot her skin felt. "I've been trying to keep her fever down." murmured Mike. "I'm not sure what else to do." Winter thought for a moment. "I could always go to my mother's shop and see if I can't find some medicine." suggested Winter. "that would be a great help, Winter. I can't leave to find any supplies while I'm taking care of her."

Winter headed back outside. He found his way back to his mother's shop. He hadn't stepped foot inside of it ever since the bombing. The thought of having to come back left a bad taste in his mouth. He pushed open the back door with his paws. "okay, let's see, where does mom keep the medicine?" He searched the aisles. He managed to find a couple of bottles of fever medication. He tucked them away into the shoulder bag that Mike had given him. He grabbed some food and some water from the fridges. "I'd better get back. I don't want to be here any longer than I need to."

Winter dropped the back at Mike's feet. Mike picked it up. "thank you." Winter nodded. He laid next to Mandy keeping her company. "how long have you guys been here?" asked Winter. "for a couple of months. We would have stayed in our house but we ran out of supplies. It was rough trying to get Mandy here." replied Mike. He handed Mandy some pills and a bottle of water. She downed them both. She wrapped her arms around Winter's neck. His warmth helped her sleep. Winter and Mike kept their voices down as they continued to talk. "there have been some enemy patrols in the streets as of late. We'll need to be careful when we go on supply runs." whispered Winter. "I've debated taking shelter in the fire station. I doubt it's still standing." Mike laid down on his cot. "I'll check later. I have to rest now." Winter nodded in understanding. He watched as Mike settled down to sleep. Winter sighed going to sleep himself.

Sam sat close to the top of the stairs. Arnold handed him a sandwich. "sorry it's not much." Sam took it. "it's okay. Something is better than nothing." Sam bit into it. He grimaces because of the taste. "how long do you think it'll be before help arrives?" questioned Arnold. "I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine," replied Sam. The two of them ate in silence. Arnold checked the time. "we'd better get some rest. No telling how long it will take for them to show up."

Sam laid down on his cot. He decided to sleep in the office in case Boyce called for them again. He sighed tiredly. He just wanted to get away from this place already. _I just hope where ever you are Charlie that you are safe. We'll see each other again soon. I promise._

Mandy coughed herself awake. Winter raised his head. He barked light at Mike waking him up. Mike handed his daughter a bottle of water. She drank it slowly. She handed the bottle back to her dad. Her breathing started to become labored. Winter whimpered softly. He nuzzled her hand. "I'll be okay." she rasps. She gave Winter a loving pat. Mike knelt by her bedside. He held her hand in his. "just hang in there, Mandy." Mandy smiled at her dad. She drifted off to sleep again. Mike sighed getting up. "I wished Helen was here. She said that she had to help take care of the injured and sick back in Newtown. I didn't think she'd be gone this long." Winter frowned. Mike laid down again. He went back to sleep. Winter decided to keep watch.

The winds picked up outside stirring up the loose dust. Winter watched from the window. His ears were alert to the noises outside. _It's hard to believe that this place is nothing more than a wasteland now. The world finally fell apart. I knew it would. We all knew it would but what more can we do now? We all watched as the world fell apart piece by piece. All we can do is really hope for a new paradise to go to._ Winter looked up at the sky. _When are we born? When do we die? Why are we born? Why do we die? The world has been destroyed and we've fallen countless times, always resurrecting from the ashes as Paradise. It has happened before, and it will happen again. An endless cycle of life and death. The world is a paradise that was opened by someone, but this era too is almost at an end. We have acquired the means to exceed our natural span of life, this knowledge has left me in despair. My fate has fallen and scattered like the petals of a dying flower. Like the blast from a sand storm, it has been worn down and weathered away. As if to be purified the world will be encased in ice so that it can return to the beginning once more. Paradise is a world that is opened by someone. Wise words my father left me with."_ Winter lowered his head. He rested it on his paws. _I'd better rest or else I won't be strong enough to protect them. They are my family now._

Sam struggled in his sleep. Elvis heard Sam pleading with somebody. He crawled over to him. He changed forms. Elvis was covered in black fur and scales. He laid by Sam peacefully pressing his warm body up against him. Sam wrapped his arms around him. He soon calmed down. Elvis smiled. He watched his mentor sleep.

 **Remember to read/review**

 **The feedback is always appreciated and I will see you guys soon**

 **peace**

 **-Whisper**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Sound the horn

Boyce walked downstairs. He managed to get a crew together to find Sam and the rest of the fire brigade. What worried him was that he wasn't able to locate Station Officer Steele or Penny. _I hope those two are okay._ he thought. One of his informants approached him. "sir." addressed Travis as he saluted Boyce. "I've just received word from Team Delta. They said that Station Officer Steele and Firefighter Morris have both been taken by the military. As to what they're condition is, we are still looking into that." Boyce let out a small sigh. "I see. Well thanks for telling me, Travis. Is Team Nova ready to go?" he asked. Travis nodded. "good. Dispatch them immediately." Travis saluted Boyce again before taking off.

Boyce met up with Helen outside of the infirmary. She walked with him down the hallway. "how is Firefighter Phillips holding up?" asked Boyce. "she's doing well. Just dealing with a lot of the trauma from her rescue." replied Helen. She looked up at Boyce. "have you heard from anyone in PontyPandy yet?" Boyce gave her a hopeful smile. "Indeed, I have. Fireman Sam, Elvis, and Arnold are alive. I've just sent a team to extract them." Helen let out a relieved sigh. "but what about Mike and Mandy? surely they must be alive too." Boyce rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure they are. I'll have my team keep an eye out for them."

Winter's ears twitched. He heard voices talking outside of the house. He opened his eyes. A cage rattled outside of the house. "this Sandman should sniff them out." Winter quickly got to his paws. He shook Mike awake. "we need to move. now." he hissed. Mike nodded. He lifted Mandy up carefully. He followed Winter out of the house.

The soldiers outside released the Sandman. It quickly caught onto the trio's auras. It let out a piercing howl. "Hurry Mike!" snapped Winter. He shoved the handyman ahead of him. Mike took off running. Winter followed after him. The Sandman hurled a ball of blue mist in their direction. Winter shielded Mike from the blast. He winced feeling the mist burn his back. Mike stopped to help him. "go!" growled Winter. Mike nodded. He made a break for the fire station. Winter turned around to face the Sandman. The Sandman hurled another ball of mist at him. Winter dodged its attack. He lunged forward nipping at it with his fangs. The Sandman moved out of the way. It swung its arms at him. Winter ducked. He jumped onto the Sandman's back. He bit down into the Sandman's neck. The Sandman howled in pain. It released a poisonous gas into the air. Winter gagged and let go. He couldn't see really well. The Sandman kicked Winter away from it. Winter yelped in pain. He slowly got back to his feet. The Sandman loomed over Winter roaring at him. A bell chimed in the fog. The Sandman looked over its shoulder. Winter pinned the Sandman to the ground. He ripped its head off with his fangs. Blue blood leaked from the wound. Winter dropped the head watching it roll back down the hill. Winter started to feel weak. He darted off to find Mike.

Mike was waiting for Winter at the fire station. Winter dragged himself up the hill. Mike gasped seeing how sick Winter looked. He used his other arm to lift the young dog up. He slung him over his shoulder. He used his hand to open the front door. Sam stood up. "who goes there?" He asked. "it's me, Mike. I'm with Winter and Mandy. They need help." replied Mike. Mike headed upstairs. Arnold took both Winter and Mandy from him. "I'll take care of them. You rest."

Winter started to feel better after a while. The effects of the poison started to wear off. His vision slowly returned to normal. Arnold gave Winter more water. "the water should help flush out the poison." Winter nodded. Arnold helped Winter drink the water from the bottle. Winter had his fill and turned away from it. Arnold put the cap back on the bottle. He gave Winter a pat behind the ears.

The wind howled outside. Another storm began brewing. "so what's the deal with Elvis?" asked Winter. "he fell mute. We were outside on a supply run when we came across a body. It didn't sit well with Elvis." explained Arnold. "we've been trying to get him to talk but so far we haven't had luck." Elvis cuddled close to Sam. "I should probably go and alert Boyce that we've found more survivors." Mike raised an eyebrow. "I managed to get the comms working again," said Sam as he interrupted Mike. Sam walked into the office. He got on the radio. He frowned when all he got was static. Arnold poked his head in. "I think the storm has caused a disturbance. You should try again later." Sam sighed. He leaned back in the chair. "since we have more survivors, should Winter and I got out on a supply run?" Sam nodded. "yeah. We'll need more supplies. I thought about going down into the garage and seeing if Jupiter and Venus are still usable."

A helicopter hovered near the coast. It lowered a crate down onto the beach. Soldiers held it down on the ground. There was a low growling noise coming from inside. One of the soldiers opened the crate. A creature came out on all fours. It had a long tail that flowed out behind it. The singular eye on its head began to glow. It screeched attacking its handlers. One of the soldiers struck it with an electric stick. The creature screeched. They grabbed its head and dangled a small piece of cloth in front of it. "find the Moonblood." he ordered. He let the creature go. The creature disappeared into the dark mist.

Arnold put on his firefighting uniform. He tied his ax to his belt. Winter joined Arnold downstairs. "you ready to go?" Arnold nodded. "now that the storm has died now. We can finally see what we are doing." Arnold pushed open the door. A heavy wind came through the door. It blew some dust into the garage. Arnold lowered his heat shield. "stay close." Arnold and Winter walked down the hill. A dust storm was blowing through the town. Arnold held his arms up to shield himself. Winter winced as rocks scraped against his skin. They took shelter inside one of the houses. Winter stood guard at the door. Arnold began searching the house for supplies.

A sharp howl wailed through the air. Winter's ears perked. "Incoming!" he shouted. The howl sounded again. Elvis bolted to the window. He spotted something moving in the fog. He quickly ran downstairs. "Elvis?! Where you going?!" shouted Sam. Elvis didn't answer him. Elvis ran out onto the streets.

Winter was flung against the wall. The creature hissed at him. Winter struggled to get back on his feet. He hadn't recovered from his last beat down. Winter snarled and went right for the creature sinking his fangs into its arm. The creature howled in pain. It swung it's arm desperately trying to get him off. The tip of its tail began to glow. It swung its tail slamming the glowing tip into Winter. The blow was enough to send Winter flying again. Arnold poked his head around the corner. He clutched the ax in his hands tightly. He tossed it at the creature. The blade of the ax landed on the creature's shoulder. A green mist formed around the creature's fist. It flung the mist at Arnold. Arnold moved out the way. He ran straight for the creature. He grabbed his ax and cut straight down. The creature hissed. It dug its claws into Arnold's shirt. It pulled him forward before slinging him away. Winter tackled the creature into the door frame. He brought his fangs down on its neck. The creature howled in pain. Elvis heard its howled. He changed forms rather quickly.

The creature held Winter up by the base of his throat. Winter snarled snapping his jaws at it. Elvis came onto the scene. "Tor Shool!" roared Elvis as a stream of flames came out of his mouth burning the creature's back. The creature used its tail to keep Elvis back. Elvis caught it in his jaws. He snapped out his wings catching the moving current. He flew up into the air. The creature dug its claws into the ground while also holding onto Winter. The creature then tried to retract its tail. Sam saw something flying around outside. He grabbed his ax and pushed the front door open. He had to get to the boys before something bad happened to them.

Elvis flew upwards. He gave the creature a sharp tug on its tail. He could feel the bones beginning to break under his jaws. The spikes on his back began to glow. Flames developed inside of Elvis' mouth. He tossed the creature into the air. The creature flailed helplessly in mid air for a while. Elvis waited for the right time. The creature soon began falling. "Toor." The flames inside of Elvis' mouth grew larger. "Shoool!" He let them loose once the creature was within range. It's ashes fell to the ground. Elvis landed on all fours. Winter smiled. "That was awesome!"

Sam finally arrived on scene. He spotted Elvis in his dragon form still. Sam swung his ax at him. "Get away from them!" Elvis jumped backward. Elvis got low to the ground. "Sam! Stop!" Arnold lowered Sam's hands. "it's okay. It's friendly." Sam eyed the dragon. Elvis lowered his head. He pushed it against Sam's hands. Sam was still unsure of what he was seeing. "where's Elvis?" he asked. "your looking at him." Sam looked at the dragon. "this is Elvis? Since when?" Arnold scratched his head. "I suppose we owe you an explanation. I'll tell you once we get back to the fire station."

Elvis followed the group back to the fire station. Before Arnold could even get a few words out, Mike met them downstairs. He had a grave look on his face. Tears had formed in his eyes. "you need to come with me." Sam nodded. He followed Mike upstairs. Mandy was holding on by a thread. Mike removed his hat. Mandy smiled when she saw her neighbor friends and heroes enter the room. Sam stood by her bedside. "I wanted to see you again." Her voice shook as she continued to speak. "I wanted to say goodbye and to thank you for all that you have done for me. I'm so happy that you came into my life when you did. I'm so happy to have met you." Sam held her hand in his. He got down on one knee. "there is no need to thank me, Mandy." Mandy smiled at him weakly. "For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. Please take care of my dad. Make sure he gets to my mother in one piece." Sam nodded. He gave Mandy a small kiss on the forehead. He felt Mandy relax in his hand. The last of the light faded from her eyes. Sam closed them. He got to his feet. He stood by Elvis and Arnold. Winter went up to Mandy. He touched his nose to her hand. "take care, Mandy. We'll see you on the other side." he whispers. Mike goes over to his daughter's bedside. He holds her in his arms. He sobs into her lifeless body. "goodbye baby girl. Daddy will miss you." Mike and Winter stayed upstairs to hold vigil for Mandy. Winter laid by Mandy's body. He wanted to give her comfort before her soul transitions to the other side.

Sam joins the rest of his team downstairs. "Elvis was captured by the military back when the bombings happened. They did some tests on him and that's how he ended up being a dragon. They wanted to see if combining Moonblood DNA and Human DNA could work. I guess they were successful in their endeavor." Arnold held Elvis close. "He escaped and when I was being attacked, he came to rescue me. I owe him my life." Sam held up his hand. "I'm not saying I believe you but I'll roll with it for now." The trio stood in silence. Neither one was in the mood for talking after the death they just witnessed. "what's the plan now?" asked Arnold. "we have two options 1.) either wait until help arrives or 2.) see if we can't get Jupiter or Venus up and running again." Sam crossed his arms. "but right now I think it's best if we all get some rests. It's been an eventful day."

Penny woke up to the sound of the door at the end of the hallway opening. A man wearing dark colored clothing entered the room. He paused in front of her cell. "well hello dear heart." he cooed. Penny just snarled at him. He knelt down in front of her. "I wouldn't get so high and mighty right now. Your little friends are looking at facing death after one of them graciously killed my pet." Penny chuckled. "that's not my problem. Maybe you should have made them a tad bit stronger. They're weak. Just like those dogs that you use to torture us." The man reached in through the bars of the cage. "you little." Another male walked into the room. "Let her go, Karvar. We don't have time for you to be playing with your toys." Karvar leaned in more. "I was just trying bound with our little guest." The man narrowed his eyes. Karvar got to his feet. "Leave them with me. I'll be by to deal with whatever the issue is later." The man nodded before walking out. Karvar returned his attention back to Penny. He grabbed her by the throat again. "you have something I want. All I have to do is wait for it." He then dropped her. "besides we'll need you two if I'm ever to get my hands on that blue haired rascal." he sneered. "you leave Elvis alone!" Karvar laughed at her. "is that his name? Elvis? Well, I hope I get to know this Elvis soon. After all, I'll be capturing him and his ginger haired friend too." He cracked his knuckles. "I'd better get back to work. I'd hate for you to see my brother when he gets angry. Just be a good girl and everything will be fine."

Buck waited for his brother. Karvar stepped into the control room. "the construction of the turrets are nearly complete. The citizens of Newtown won't know what hit them." Karvar smiled. "Good. Good. I hope that these turrets will be heavily guarded." Buck looked at his brother. "of course. I don't plan on Samuel taking these out anytime soon though I've received word from PontyPandy that another one of our creations was killed. They discovered ashes." Karvar then snarled. "it's that blue haired mongrel." He let out a soft sigh. "no matter. We'll soon have that blue haired freak in our grasp once more. This time I'm not going to make it as easy to escape."

 **Hey guys just a quick note before I end the chapter. I will be kind of busy in the coming weeks. My schedule is starting to fill up so I don't know if and when I will be updating.**

 **I also have a very exciting announcement to make. I will be making a fangame in the near future if things go well. I don't know what plot or mechanics I will be working with but I will let you guys know as time goes on.**

 **Also I've noticed that everyone is upset at the recent rant CarsWorldFan made. Everything she said in that rant is true. It's a message that me and GTheRantingGriffin have been trying to get across for weeks. She said it better than any one of us would have.**

 **By the way a future note, this is mainly directed at anyone who feels the need to ask me to include anything in this story or future stories. The answer is no. It's not CANON to the universe that I am currently trying to create for the story. PLEASE DO NOT ASK OR SUGGEST AN IDEA IN MY REVIEW SECTION. I will remove reviews or block users who do so. You can PM them and they may be considered for a later story.**

 **Read/Review**

 **Feedback is always appreciated**

 **\- Whisper**


	6. Chapter 6

**So just some friendly reminders:**

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 **2.) please leave feedback. I'm not talking feedback as in "oh hey this was good" I'm talking actual feedback.**

 **Feedback**

 **[Feed-bak]**

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 **Definition 3 of**

 **Feedback is a reaction or response to a particular process or activity. Example:** _He got very little feedback from his speech_

 **I'm always curious as to what works and what doesn't or what needs improving. The feedback is crucial to improving my performance as a writer.**

 **No feedback=No updates**

 **plain and simple**

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 **4.) Please DO NOT SUGGEST IDEAS THAT ARE NOT CANON TO THE CURRENT TIMELINE I AM WRITING FOR! If your ideas happen to co-inside with the current story, then I will consider them. At the same time, it won't happen considering this story is a Collab between myself and another writer. You will be blacklisted and have your review removed if you choose to do so.**

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 **I have rules for a reason and I want you guys to respect them. If you have any questions please Private Message me and I will explain it to you.**

 **A/N: as of the date of these notes being put up I would like to state now that I am still on Hiatus. The only reason why I am able to update DH is because it was a Roleplay that me and Mo have done/completed. You will be surprised with the end results.**

 **-Whisper**

Chapter Six: homecoming

Sam and the others woke up early the next morning. Sam, Elvis, and Winter piled into Jupiter. Sam glances to his right to see Arnold and Mike in Venus. Arnold waits for Sam to pull out before falling in behind him. Falling Embers and damaged buildings were replaced by blackened countryside. Sam flicked on the headlights. Light brown clouds blocked the view of the road. Sam grimaced. Winter started to tamper with the radio. He turned the dial. All the stations showed up with static until one without static came through.

 _His saddle was a Sother kack built many years ago_

 _An OK spur on one foot idly hung_

 _With his bed roll in a cotton sack was loosely tied behind_

 _And a canteen from the saddle horn he'd slung_

 _Said he had to leave his home because his paw had married twice_

 _His new maw beat him every day or two_

 _So he saddled up old Shaw one night and lit a shuck this way_

 _Thought he'd try and paddle now his own canoe_

Sam rolled his eyes. "why is it that only the country station is working?" Winter shrugs. He keeps the music on a low volume so he could continue to talk to Sam and Elvis. He needed something to ease the growing tension. Sam kept his gaze focused on the road. The three of them sat listening to the country station before Sam finally had enough. He turned the radio off. Winter frowns. "hey!" he whines. Winter goes to touch the dial only to have his hand slapped away. Winter slumps down further in his seat.

Penny slowly starts to come to. Water leaked from the ceiling above her. She sniffs sitting up. Her back throbbed painfully. She gasps touching her back. She retracted her hand to find blood covering it. They must have whipped her to the point of blacking out. "Penny? Are you okay? How bad did they hurt you?" asked Steele. "I'm fine. I just have a few scars on my back, sir." Penny tries to get out of her restraints again. "that won't do us a lick of good, Penny. We'll just have to hope that Sam finds us soon." Penny manages to sit upright on the floor. She lets her legs sit out in front of her. Her hands touch the smooth stone underneath her. Her nails touch something metal sticking out of the floor. She picks it up in her hand. She smiles. The metal was small enough to be used as a lock pick. She quickly gets to work on picking the lock on her chains. The mechanism keeping the cuffs closed around her wrists and ankles finally opened. She got to her feet. She then ran over to the lock on her door. She picks the lock on her door. She manages to get the lock off the door. She pushes it open. "let's bust you out of here." Whispers Penny. Steele grabs her arm. He looks her dead in the eye. "you need to go." "but sir-" "go Penny, that's an order. You are in no shape to be facing off guards." Penny gulps painfully. "I can't leave you here." He smiles at her. "I'll be okay. You go. Find the others. You know where I am. Just go!"

Penny runs down the corridor. Luckily, there wasn't a guard in sight. Penny slipped into a maintenance tunnel where she found an open room that had guard outfits. She slid into one of them and grabbed a sword down from the wall. She tied it to her belt. She hoped that with her thinned state that she wouldn't be too obvious to spot. The place was like a maze, she held the wall to make sure she wouldn't fall. A small rock jutted out of the wall. She carefully felt it with her hand before pushing on it. She heard something click into place. The rock disappeared into the wall suddenly. Dust started to fall from the ceiling as a wall opened up revealing the outside world. Penny didn't have time to take it all in. She cautiously stepped outside with adrenaline flowing through her veins. She broke out into a sprint once she made sure that the coast was clear.

Penny got up to the top of one of the hills. She pants swaying. Reality hit her really fast. Fire rose in the distance from what had once been PontyPandy. She fell to her knees. A part of her wanted to scream into the void. She laid on her side hugging her knees. She let a few tears fall. She had no idea where she was or how far from home she was.

Penny laid there for several moments until the familiar sound of an engine approached her. _Is that?_ She got to her feet. A pair of headlights flashed through the fog. She could make out Jupiter's red paint through the fog. She gasps. She breaks out into a sprint ignoring the sharp pains growing in her legs. "Hey!" she shouts. "HEY!" She jumps over the wall getting in front of Venus. Arnold quickly slams on the brakes. Penny places her hands down on the hood. Arnold gasps. "Penny?" He gets out of the rescue tender. Penny limps over to him. He offers her his arm for support. Mike moves over so Penny could sit comfortably between them. "where did you come from?" "I'll explain later. I'm a little tired." Arnold nods. He starts Venus back up again.

Large white walls rose through the thick fog. Street lamps casted light onto the barren road. Barbed wire blocked access to the main gate. "Strange. I don't remember Newtown becoming closed off." Comments Sam. A man wearing a dark gray uniform approaches Jupiter. "state your business." He barks. "Lead Firefighter Samuel with Firefighter Cridlington, Firefighter McKinley, and a few survivors." The man lifts up the blockade. "you are free to clear. Check in with Chief Fire Boyce for further instructions." Sam pulls away from the gate. The town felt eerie to him. The white walls disappeared off in the growing fog that hung around the city. The streets were once again covered in blockades. There was hardly anyone moving about the walls. Sam's heart started to beat faster. All of this was unsettling to him.

Newtown Fire station sat in the middle of town. Sam parked Jupiter outside of the garage. He helped Elvis and Winter climb out of Jupiter. "Elvis!" a voice shouted. Elvis turned around to see Penny running up to him. He catches her in his arms. She buries her face in his neck. Elvis rubs her back. "am I glad to see you." She pulls away from him. She places her hands in his. Sam walks up to them. Penny hugs him too. "I know where they are keeping Station Officer Steele. There's this man named Karvar who is holding him in a cavern near the base of PontyPandy mountain." Arnold cracks his knuckles. "me and Elvis will rescue him." "um, no. Absolutely not. I'm not going to have you two risk your lives. I'll talk to Chief Fire Officer Boyce and see what we can do." Arnold growls quietly. "Sam! Elvis and I can do it! Let us rescue him!" Sam's eyes narrowed. "you dare go against your senior officer? I told you guys no. I won't allow anyone to put their lives on the line recklessly. Doing so, will cost you more than just your life." Sam then stormed away.

"Helen!"

Helen looked up from the clipboard she was holding. Mike was running towards her. Helen smiled. She dropped the clipboard onto the ground. She ran towards him. Mike caught her in his arms. He held her close. "oh Helen." Helen wraps her arms around him. "Mike." She kisses his cheek. "is Mandy with you? Where is she?" She saw pain flash across Mike's face. He removed his hat. "she passed away. The illness she had was too much for her to handle. She held on the best she could but in the end, she knew she didn't have much longer. I'm so sorry." Helen hugged Mike again. She buried her face in his neck. Mandy had been their only daughter. She felt something wet hit her shoulder. Mike stood there crying in her arms. "I failed her. I'm sorry." Helen touched his cheek. "it's not your fault love. You tried everything you could." She comforted. He sniffs. She smiles slightly at him. Winter approaches them. He lowers his head and sits a few inches away from them. His ears flatten against his head. "Winter stayed with us too. He kept Mandy company the entire time." Helen bends down to pat Winter's head. Winter perked up. He closed his eyes enjoying her touch. He lets out a happy hum. "thank you, Winter. Thanks for bringing my husband home to me. Come on. Let's get the two of you settled."

Sam went off to see if the rest of his family had made it. "Sam!" Bronwyn was standing at the top of the stairs. She was relieved to see that her husband's brother had made it out alive. Sam smiled. He raced upstairs to meet them. Bronwyn hugged him tightly. "am I glad to see you." She whispers. Sam holds her close. "is Charlie with you?" Bronwyn shakes her head. "no. Him and Hoshi got lost out at sea." Sam's heart stopped in his chest. He dropped his gaze. "but I heard from one of the guards recently that they were able to contact other refugee camps. Charlie and Hoshi are both alive and well. He even sent me this to give you to." Bronwyn handed Sam a small blue journal that had a golden dragon on the front of it. "he said to make sure that this got to you. I haven't been able to figure out what any of it means just yet." Sam looks down at it. "I'll be sure to check it out later."

James hugged his Uncle. "is Sarah with you two?" Bronwyn saddens. James starts crying. Sam picks James up. "she's dead, Sam. She…They…" Bronwyn couldn't get the words out. Sam dropped his gaze again. "she must have been the body Arnold and Elvis saw out in the streets." Bronwyn slowly nodded her head. "oh Bronwyn. I'm so sorry." Bronwyn touches Sam's cheek. "she's in a better place now." She whispers. Bronwyn saw how tired Sam looked. "you must be tired, Sam. Fancy a nap?" Sam shakes his head. He sets James down on the floor carefully. "I've got to talk to Chief Fire Officer Boyce about rescuing Station Officer Steele then I'll probably get some rest." Bronwyn nods. "we have an empty bed in our room if you need it, Sam." Sam smiles at her. "thanks Bronwyn."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce was in his office. He heard a light knock at the door. "come in." he calls. Sam stepped into the room. "sir. We have a problem." Boyce looks up from the paperwork on the desk. "greetings Lead Fireman Jones. Glad to see you and the others are in one piece. Now what sort of problem are we having?" Sam sat down in one of the chairs. "Station Officer Steele is being held hostage by a man named Karvar. Firefighter Morris has stated to me that she knows where he is being held." Boyce raises an eyebrow and motions for Sam to continue. "He's being held at the base of PontyPandy Mountain." Boyce scratches his chin. "that isn't good. We'll need to assemble a team." "Firefighter Arnold and Firefighter Elvis seemed keen. Shall I escort the both of them to the mountain?" Boyce shakes his head. "I think I shall let someone else take your place on the team for now, Sam. No doubt this Karvar fellow will be expecting you." Sam dips his head respectfully. "let me talk to those two and I'll let you know if I happen to change my mind."

Sam leaves Boyce's office. He heads to the dormitory area of the Fire Station. He found the room Bronwyn was sharing with James. Bronwyn and James were already sleeping by the time he walked in. Sam settled down in the empty bed next to theirs. He sighs and drifts off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Holidays from my house to yours. I know it's been a while since I last updated this story. I've had so much going on in the background. Here are some updates:**

 **Server updates:**

 **KoFerality is almost finished. We'll have a server open for staff members in a matter of days. We just need to finish collecting models from the rest of our team.**

 **Primal Legion: Close to completion. I've been with the group so far and they've done a fantastic job with getting everything together.**

 **Dragon Souls: I'm currently a delta (waiting to see if I'll be accepted) and we already have a server up and running.**

 **Project Updates:**

 **I'm currently working on some animation projects. I am collabing with CarsWorldFan on a little side project of hers. I'll keep you guys posted about what this project is the next time I update. I'm also working hard on Wolves of the Zodiac and it's coming along fine.**

 **Life Updates:**

 **I've taken up Dungeons and Dragons as a hobby and so far, both of my groups seem to enjoy it. If you are interested in becoming a part of the action, please let me know.**

 **As some of you guys are aware, I've become a lot stricter with my review section. Please keep in mind that the rules of my review section are still in place even when I'm gone. I'm only doing it to cut back on the amount of spam that I get from "certain users" and those "certain users" know who I am talking about. :3**

 **May the blessings of Skoll be upon the and the wrath be of Hati be upon those who wish to toil with me**

 **-Whisper**

Chapter Seven: Putting Pieces of a Puzzle Together

Sam woke up early the next morning. Thick fog still blocked off parts of the city outside. The only light that Sam could see outside emitted from the nearby street lamps. Sam peered further into the glass. His eyes trailed upwards to the sky. The sky was completely dark now almost as if the sun itself had given up on them. Sam steps away from the window. He then goes over to his nightstand. Bronwyn and James were still sleeping. He sat down in the chair quietly. His brother's journal sat on top of the nightstand. Sam opened it up and began to read a couple of pages from the journal.

 _Entry One_

 _It's been a few months since the last time any of us had seen land. I'm beginning to think that maybe this fishing trip wasn't a good idea. We didn't come prepared for this but luckily, we have enough food in the storage tanks to get by. I just hope Bronwyn isn't too mad at me. I hope Sarah and James are alright. We've been seeing an increase in Navy vessels out on the water as of late. The Welsh Navy seems distraught by something._

 _I just hope that something hasn't hit close to home_

 _-Charlie_

 _Entry Two:_

 _Another month has gone by and we still haven't been able to find land. We all heard this large boom coming from some place though. Don't know what it was but it doesn't sound good. I hope Bronwyn and the kids are somewhere safe. I hope my brother is with them._

 _Hoshi and Ben are growing restless. I can understand why._

 _-Charlie_

The next couple of pages covered mainly things that had happened to them out at sea. Sam got to an interesting journal entry.

 _Entry Twenty_

 _We keep seeing strange lights off in the distance. Hoshi says that he can feel a strange energy in the distance. We also saw a large shadow fly towards it. Ben says that we should follow it but I'm not so sure. The waters are hardly safe enough as it is. I want nothing more than to return to PontyPandy and to my family._

 _-Charlie_

Sam frowns. He closes his brother's journal. He then leans backwards in his chair. He sighs facing the wall. "I hope that you are okay, Charlie." Whispers Sam.

The door to the cell blocked was slammed open by Karvar. Karvar stood outside of Steele's jail cell. He reached in through the bars and grabbed Steele, who was half asleep, by the collar of his shirt. "you helped that little girl escape, didn't you?" he snarled. Steele narrowed his eyes at Karvar. "wouldn't you like to know." Karvar slammed Steele's forehead into the bars. "and now she's going to squeal to fire boy about where we happen to be located. Don't worry though. I have a surprise waiting for him." Steele coughed. "don't you hurt him." Karvar only laughed. "beg all you want to, you old bastard but that's not going to stop me from finally killing him." He lets go of Steele letting him drop to the floor. Karvar then kneels in front of him. "you and that crew of yours are so naïve. You guys make it too easy for us to kill you." Karvar gets to his feet. "have fun rotting in your cell." Steele watched as Karvar left the room.

Karvar joins his brother in the control room. "I heard from a few of our spies in Newtown." Says Buck. "they say the blue-haired boy and his mage friend are coming to storm our castle." Karvar grins. "I've got a nasty surprise for them. They won't be getting out of this cavern alive or without a few scratches at least." Buck crosses his arms. "your experiments better work this time, brother. We can't have them toying with our plans for much longer. Remember if they find out about Sanctuary…" Karvar huffs. "quit worrying. They won't. Not while I'm alive."

Arnold pokes his head around the corner. The hallways were empty apart from the few guards that were stationed at each corner. The guards weren't really paying attention to what was going on inside of the building. Arnold let out a sigh of relief. He crossed the hallway intersection into another part of the hallway. He knocked on the door to Elvis' room quietly. "Elvis." He hissed. "you ready?" He heard something shift. "yeah. Give me a few minutes." Elvis walked out dressed in lighter clothing. He sported a dark black tank top and white shorts. Arnold eyes him up and down. "you're seriously going to wear that?" Elvis shrugs. "why not? It's the only thing that I can shift in and out of safely." Arnold sighs. "Fine. Let's just get out of here before anyone sees us." Arnold lead Elvis down the hallway. "one things for sure, Sam is going to be so pissed when finds out what we're up to." Whispers Elvis. "I know but I can't stand the thought of Station Officer Steele being tortured for a moment longer. I'll deal with Sam once we get back."

Winter was sleeping in the lounge area downstairs. Arnold placed his arm on Elvis' chest. He motions to Winter before putting a finger to his lips. Elvis nods. The both of them sneak past Winter. Winter only stirs slightly but manages to stay asleep.

Arnold and Elvis soon made it to the front gate. The guard heard them approach the gate. He got to his feet. "and where do you two knuckleheads think you're going?" he barks. "we're going for a walk." The guard steps aside. "alright but don't venture too far. I don't feel like having to track you two down. Does your senior officer know where you're going?" Arnold gulps. "yes." The guard then nods. "alright. If they know where you two are, we shouldn't have too many problems. Now get." Arnold lets out a sigh of relief. "come on Elvis."

Elvis waits till they are far away enough to change forms. His body was completely covered in black scales. He had dark grey spikes going down his back and on his face. He had a long black mane and dark blue eyes. Arnold climbs aboard him. He gives Elvis' flank a gentle squeeze. Elvis flaps his wings several times before taking off into the sky. "Penny says Steele is being kept in a cavern near the mountain. We should look there first." Elvis hummed quietly. "I'll go in and rescue Penny while you distract them, Elvis. Just don't get yourself killed in the process." Elvis smiles.

Karvar senses Elvis' aura in the air. A dark smile appeared on his face. He lifted his walkie talkie up to his mouth. "release the kraken." A loud screech thundered above him. A black shadow appeared from the clouds. Arnold shivered gently. "Elvis, behind you!" A black beam missed Elvis by mere inches. Elvis dared himself to turn around. He gasped seeing a huge four-winged dragon shape behind him. It screeched once again before firing another beam. Elvis folded his wings in and dodged its attack. Arnold places his hand on Elvis' neck. "we need to take this thing down. Let's hit it with everything we got!" A dark cone of shadows struck Elvis suddenly. Elvis cries out in pain as an electric shock suddenly goes through him. Arnold was blown off Elvis. "Elvis!" Elvis drops down. He quickly catches Arnold in his claws before floating upwards. Elvis roars at the shadow. Blue flames begin to form in his mouth. He then releases a cone of blue flames at the shadow dragon who roars in pain. Arnold waves his hands. "Scared Flames!" A circle of flames appears in front of the dragon. The dragon howls as the flames singe its scales. It then sends out another cone of shadows at Elvis who dodges it. He fires another round of flames at the dragon. The dragon dodges his attack. He takes a swing at the duo with his claws. Elvis winces as the claws barely scrape his side. He nips at the dragon's hide. The dragon then swings its head. It grabs Elvis by the tail. Elvis whimpers as he gets thrown into the trees. Arnold flies off Elvis' back. He grunts as he gets pinned to the trees by Elvis' body. He gasps as another cone of shadows heads straight towards them. "Elvis! Get up! Look out!" Elvis weakly opens his eyes. He sees the cone of shadows coming towards them. He quickly tosses a wing up to protect Arnold but ends up taking the damage. Arnold hears Elvis scream in pain as the poison goes right through him. "Elvis!"

Karvar watches from a distance. He laughs. "those two are finished. Now my wonderful beast, finish the job!" He presses a button on his wrist. He starts to make small motions with his body. A dark aura appears around him and the dragon. "Nightmare Breathe!" Dark flames start to form in the dragon's mouth. Karvar moves his arms back against his side. He then pushes his hands forward. The dragon releases the dark colored flames. He watches as they hit Elvis. Elvis cries out as he is knocked backwards through the trees. The flames explode sending out a fiery shockwave. Arnold quickly gets to his feet. "no!" Elvis was burned badly. Purple lightning surrounded him. He whines softly in pain. Arnold places a hand on his snout. "Elvis! You have to hold in there." Elvis whimpers again as another shock goes through him.

Sam shivers. He looks off into the distance. He grabs his axe and heads outside of the city gates. He could sense a powerful presence nearby. He saw smoke rising in the distance. "what the- "He made his way over to it. A large shadow loomed over them. It roared at Sam. Karvar points at Sam. "take him out!" The dragon launches a cone of shadows at Sam. Sam dodged it. He growled. He took out his axe. He could feel a dark energy suddenly take hold of him. It was the same energy he felt hit him when Elvis and Arnold were attacked. The blade of his axe began to glow. He slashes the air in front of the dragon. A wave of energy erupted out of his blade. The wave of energy struck the dragon. The dragon roared out in pain. It sent another cone of shadows at Sam. Sam cut through it with his axe. He smiles at the dragon. "Your attacks at no match for mine." Dark energy surrounded the blade of Sam's axe. He cut the air in front of the dragon again creating another burst of energy. The dragon howled again as it was struck. It kept trying to hit Sam with the shadows only to have them miss each time. Bloodlust started to cloud Sam's mind. He swings his axe tearing into the dragon's side. The dragon howls. It tries to swat Sam away with its tail. Sam moves slightly to the side. The dragon's tail goes into its side. The dragon howls. It pulls out its tail and tries to go for Sam again. Sam dips the tip of his blade into the dragon's blood. The blood begins to glow. He waits for the tip of the dragon's tail to come close before slicing it off. He watches as the tip of the tail falls into the woods below. Karvar winces as a bolt of pain courses through him. "fly! Try to shake him off!" The dragon suddenly moves upwards. It spirals its' body to get Sam off its back. Sam grabs onto its back spike. He slams his axe into its back. The dragon howls in pain. It slams its' back into the cliffs behind it.

Elvis slowly raises his head up. He winces slightly in pain. He notices that the shadow dragon had slammed into the cliffs. He tries to get to his feet. The poison made him very weak. His blurry gaze searched the cliffs. He gasps seeing Sam standing on top of one of the ledges covered in blood. Laughter escapes Sam's chest. His bloodied axe began glowing. He jumps into the air. "now to end you!" He swings his axe. He then plunges it into the dragon's neck and drags his blade downwards leaving a huge wound on its stomach. The dragon howls in pain and pulls away from Sam. "retreat!" yells Karvar. The dragon disappears off into the cloud leaving a bloody trail behind it.

Sam slowly comes out of Bloodlust. He pants sitting down on top of the ledge. Karvar watches him closely. _Perhaps I can find a way to break Sam entirely. With power like that, I could use him to bend the world to my will._ He gets on the walkie. "release the old bat. Let him walk free. Leave him in the forest with the two other bodies. We don't need him anymore. I've got other ideas."

 **I hope you guys have been enjoying your holidays so far. 2018 will be a fresh start for all of us. A time where we can cut away old ties and start new. I do hope to hear from you guys because every bit of feedback helps. By leaving a positive or helpful comment, your helping authors like me grow in this community.**

 **I will see you guys when I see you guys**

 **Peace**

 **-Whisper**


	8. Chapter 8

**So I've been meaning to make this rant for an incredibly long time. I was originally going to make it into a video but decided against it. It would take me too long to produce the video as is. So allow me to kind of set the scene as to what I've experienced as a writer for this "wonderful" fanbase.**

 **I've been a writer since I was a Freshmen in high school. To give you a clue as to how old I was then, I was fourteen. I remembered doing my first ever story which was a crossover between Wolf's Rain and Chuggington.**

 **One year later I came across Fireman Sam after watching TV at about 2am in the morning and that's when I discovered this fanbase. Not going to lie I used to like reading what other people wrote. At the time I had no problem with producing Pam fanfiction. Hell I wrote Over The Blazing Timbers (before it recieved multiple rewrites and that's when I learned if it ain't broken don't fix it.)**

 **As responsiblities grew, I kind of stopped updating. Life kind of got in the way. Looking back now, I kind of wished I never discovered the fandom.**

 **Here's why...**

 **This community has no respect for the people who put time and effort into their stories. I should know because once I asked you guys to stop asking me for updates, you guys quit posting reviews. I've noticed that other author's also have low review counts because you guys seem to not enjoy stories that don't have questionable grammar or poor spelling.**

 **Fine examples:**

 **Fireman Sam Oneshots by Senshi2003**

 **Review Count: 21**

 **Edit upon doing this rant that story has long since been taken down.**

 **Fireman Sam: Camping Disaster**

 **Review Count: 19**

 **Both stories have bad grammar and poor sentence structure. What do both stories have in common? They both cater to fan service. Which is another point that I want to bring up.**

 **I'm tired of feeling like the stories I produce have to cater to fan service. I shouldn't have to scrap the plot I've worked hard for days to work on and devolve into having the story only focus on making characters go out with each other. That's not how storywriting works.**

 **Storywriting is the art of being able to tell a wonderful story. A plot that engages the audience. Something that makes them want to come back for more. Not "hey look how many pairings I can write in 15 minutes"**

 **It's ridiculous because it also filters out into the show too. I've started to notice this. I'm getting sick of fans being demanding. I really am.**

 **Another thing I want to bring up is that I feel as if you guys don't really show appreciation to those who make stuff for you. You guys turn your noses up at anything and everything that doesn't bend to what you want it to. All because it's not your vision.**

 **This isn't about you...**

 **This isn't about what you want...**

 **This isn't about your fan shippings...**

 **Stories are an art. They're a way of creating different realities. They open doors to new worlds. The way this fanbase treats their writers is sick. And I'm not going to tolerate it anymore.**

 **So after Desolate Hope...**

 **I'm done...**

 **I'm tired...**

 **After I publish this update, I'll be purging a lot of stories off of my page simply because I'm just sick of writing now.**

 **I'm sorry it's gotten to this point. I just hope somebody out there is listening. I just hope that someday someone is going to wake up and realize what they've done.**

 **Another thing that I am addressing is that I will be purging a long list of stories from my account for good. I won't be handing out hard copies because these are not my best work and belong in the trash bin.**

 **If I catch anyone with copies or it's posted somewhere else I am going to be reporting accounts. Those stories belong in the trash. They do not belong anywhere else**

 **List of stories:**

 **Over the Blazing Timbers**

 **A Lover's Savior**

 **Black Hawk Down**

 **Golden Angel White Light**

 **Setting Suns**

 **The rewritten version of The Long Night of Solace**

 **Floodgates**

 **Elvis' Night Adventure in Minecraft**

 **Those stories will no longer be up as of this update. Please do not reupload them anywhere else.**

 **Another Note: This will probably be the last update I am to Desolate Hope until things get better.**

 **-Whisper**

Chapter Eight: A Bunch of Loose Ends

Elvis slowly started to come to. He flinched once he felt the effects of the dragon's attacks settle in. Arnold groaned underneath him. The both of them froze once the sound of footsteps approaching them grew louder. "Elvis? Arnold?" called a voice. "shit." muttered Arnold quietly. He gently pushed Elvis. "dude get up. He's found us." Elvis whimpered softly. He tried to get to his feet only to sway once he stood up. Purple electricity formed around him. Sam walked up to him. His eyes widened when he saw the state Elvis was in. Elvis took a step and fell forward. Sam caught the bottom of Elvis' snout. "Elv? Hey buddy look at me." Elvis stared into his eyes. Sam waved his hand in front of him. "he looks bad." He then glared at Arnold. A dark aura appeared around Sam. "what the hell are you two doing so far away from Newtown? Elvis could have been killed!" he yelled. Arnold held his arm. "we went to save Station Officer Steele." Sam crossed his arms. "yeah? And how well did that work out for you? Honestly it's like I have to treat you two like kids!" he spat. "stay here with him. I'm going after Station Officer Steele. If you move from this spot, so help me god, I will make you two wish that you were never born." Sam walked away in a huff. Arnold had never seen Sam get so angry before. It bugged him.

Sam headed down into the cavern. By now the cavern was completely empty but it held evidence that life was once in it. Sam pulled his flashlight off his belt. He flicked it in on. The light shoned through the faint dusty haze of the cavern. The base had been made through the walls of the mountain. Sand came filtering in through the cracks in the ceiling. The tunnel winded off into several directions. "Steele?" called Sam. He stood quietly listening out for his superior's voice. He could hear the faint sound of someone calling for him. He took off towards it.

Station Officer Steele coughed heavily into his arm. "Sam!" He smiled seeing a small flash from a flashlight coming towards him. Sam ran into the room. He grabbed the lock of Steele's cage and crushed it with the butt of his flashlight. "let's get you out of here." Steele nodded. "Sam, Karvar and Buck are after you. You and Elvis arent' safe anymore." Sam rested his arm across Station Officer Steele's shoulder. "I'll take care of those two. Don't worry." Steele stopped him. "no. For you and Elvis' safety I don't want you guys out of my sight not even for a second." "yes sir." Sam got Steele out of the cavern. He went back to where the boys were still waiting. "sir, your alright!" Steele nodded. Elvis cooed sorely. Sam ran his hand down Elvis' flank. He saw the burn wounds on him. He shook his head. "can you still fly?" Elvis tested his wings. He gave Sam a quick nod. "alright. Fly us home." Sam helped Arnold and Steele onto Elvis. Sam then climbed aboard. Elvis lowered himself to the ground before taking off.

Elvis flew back to Newtown. Penny was waiting outside for them. Elvis landed in front of her. He sways a bit. The three of them slide down from him. Elvis painfully changes back. He falls backwards. Sam quickly catches him in his arms. "you three go on inside. I've got him." Sam carries Elvis bridal-style indoors. The fury of what just happened still courses through him. "Sam!" Bronwyn races downstairs to him. "Charlie is on the video phone for you." Sam hesitates for a moment. "Arnold, can you take Elvis?" he asks. "of course Sam." Arnold takes Elvis from Sam gently. Sam heads upstairs after Bronwyn.

His brother waited for him. He smiled seeing him. "Sam!" Relief flashed across Sam's face. "Charlie! Your okay!" Sam sits down in front of the computer. "where are you? How are you? How are you alive?" Charlie held up his hands. "I'm not sure if Bronwyn told you or not but I was out fishing when we heard that a bomb hit PontyPandy. Here I thought you and her were dead too. Sarah wasn't so lucky." The both of them sat in silence for a couple of moments before Charlie spoke again. "I'm currently in Dubai with Hoshi and Ben. I'm not sure when we'll be able to leave to come find you. Just take care of Bronwyn and James in the meantime." Sam nodded. "you have my word, Charlie." Charlie smiled. "see you later. Out." The screen goes dark.

Karvar's dragon lands a few miles away from Newtown. He limps over to one of his men. "is the construction nearly finished?" The guard turns around. "yes sir. We're just waiting on a few more parts." Karvar smiles wickedly. "good. We're one step closer to knocking down their door. I just hope they haven't figured out that we have been building close to their refuge. It's a shame those two infidels escaped. I could have had some more fun. No matter." Karvar walks over to his brother. Buck was looking at a map he had set out on the table. "any luck finding the artifact?" Buck shook his head. "no. None of our scouting teams could find it. I'm beginning to think that there could be another method to all of this." Buck looks up in the direction of the city. "how much longer before we can bombard them?" Karvar rubbed his hands together. "not much longer. Construction is nearly finished." Buck chuckles softly. "good." He leans on the table. "make sure everyone is in position. Once the turrets are complete, we're taking the city by force."

Arnold sat by Elvis' bedside. Elvis slowly started to come to. "where am I? Did we win?" Arnold let out a sigh of relief. "yes Elvis. We did though Sam isn't very happy that we disobeyed him." Elvis sits up. He holds his head. "the poison didn't seem to last long. You were just paralysised for a little while." Elvis rubs his forehead with his fingers. "I'm glad. Are you okay? You went flying off into the trees." Arnold nods. "yeah. I'm fine surprisingly. Just a few scratches." A knock came at the door. Arnold went to answer it. "Hello Arnold, I was wondering if I could talk to Elvis alone?" asked Penny. "of course Penny. Come on in." Elvis straightened up in bed. Arnold stepped out of Elvis' room leaving the two of them alone. Penny sat down next to Elvis. "I heard about what happened and while wreckless, it was very brave of you two to try and rescue Station Officer Steele." She takes his hand in hers for a second. "Elvis, there's something I have to tell you." she looks him dead in the eyes. "I'm pregnant." Elvis snatches her close to him. "really?! That's great!" He nuzzles her gently. Penny looks up at him. "so you aren't mad?" He shakes his head. "No, why would I be?" He touches her cheek. "I can't be mad about that." He presses his forehead to hers. "besides I did promise that I would look after you. No matter what."

Arnold walked down the hallway. He came across Winter staring out the window. He watched the tip of Winter's ears move. "what do you see Winter?" Winter glances back behind him. "I can make out what appears to be lights beyond the city walls. I can't tell if it's street lamps or something else." Arnold gets close to the window. He squints his eyes a bit. He catches a glimpse as to what Winter is talking about. "I don't think those are lights." Arnold walks away from the window. "stay here." He races off to find Station Officer Steele and Chief Fire Officer Boyce.

The both of them happened to be in the office. Boyce's head shot up when Arnold knocked at the door. "come in." shouted Boyce. Arnold walks in. "sir, we have a problem. Winter spotted a set of lights off in the distance and they weren't there earlier." Boyce scratches his chin. "I see. I'll send a team out to investigate it." "I'll go out with Ben and Penny, sir." counters Arnold. "I promise we'll be careful this go around." Boyce nods. "good luck McKinley." Arnold manages to catch Ben in the lounge. "Ben! I need you to come investigate something with me." Ben nods. "alright." Arnold then grabbed Penny from Elvis. The three of them headed out of the city.

They perched near the base of the hill. Penny pulled out a pair of bionaculars. She could make out the faint shapes of people moving amongst the orange mist. She bit her lip. "looks like some sort of construction." she commented. "is it somebody we know?" asked Ben. Penny kept watching the shapes. "no. I don't think so." Arnold started to leave their hiding spot. "I'm going in for a closer look." he hissed over his shoulder. Penny kept a close eye on Arnold.

Arnold got closer to the construction crew. He ducked into the bushes. He poked his head out slowly. He spotted two figures talking to each other. He gasped when he recognized one of them. "Station Officer Steele wasn't kidding about Buck." he mutters. "but why are they here?" He snuck past them. Buck and his brother moved away from the table they were standing behind. Arnold ducked down underneath it. He waited for them to be a couple of feet away before snatching the set of documents they had on it. Buck and his brother finally moved. Arnold saw his chance. He grabbed the documents and shoved them quickly into his jacket. He then dove away from the table.

Penny heard the bushes next to them rustle. She looked up to see Arnold rejoin them. "You guys wont' believe this. Buck is here. It looks like he's building something." he handed Penny the set of documents he stole. "These might give us a clue as to what they're building." Penny nods. She hides them away. "we'd better head back. I don't want them to find us here."

The three of them head back to the city. Penny turns in the documents that Arnold stole to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. "what do you think, sir?" Boyce eyes over the documents carefully. "looks like they're planning on attacking the city. If that's the case then we need to evacuate everybody." Boyce gets up. "Morris, I want you and Hooper to help get everyone out of the city. I want firefighters at every corner of the gate. McKinley, you, Cridlington, and Phillips are to help Helen move the injured from the medic wing out of the city." The duo saluted Boyce before leaving the office. "and I'll sound the alarm."

Buck walked over to the table. He growled quietly to himself. "Karvar, do you have the documents with you?" he asked. Karvar shook his head. "why are they not on the table?" Buck pointed to the empty spot on the table. "I don't know dumbass you tell me." Karvar scratches his chin. "I'll send one of my pets to check around." Karvar left his brother to ask around. He went over to one of the cages. A two-headed creature with glowing green eyes peered up at him. He unlocked the cage. He then tied a bit of rope around the base of the creature's neck. He let the creature sniff around the perimeter of the construction site. It began tugging at it's lead once it picked up on something. Karvar smiled when he saw a space in the bushes. "looks like we have some peeping toms." He searched through the bushes only to find nothing but a set of footprints leading away from the site. He returned to camp. "change of plans, alert the guards. We begin our attack now."

 **One final message before I leave,**

 **Mo if you happen to be reading this I am very sorry. I am sorry that I am not going to be able to withhold my promise to you but when your as burned out as I am or as tired as I am, you would quit too. I am very sorry.**

 **To those of you reading this now, I leave you with this:**

 **mujhe aasha hai ki ek din aap apane sabak seekhenge mujhe aasha hai ki ek din aap vinamrata mein sabak seekhenge. ki aap doosaron ko chot pahunchaane se rokate hain ki aap un logon ke prati krtagyata vyakt karate hain jo aapake lie cheejen banaana chaahate hain. main gaayab ho sakata hoon, lekin main jo ek baar abhee bhee rahata tha, usaka saar hota tha. main bhoot hoon. main ek mook bhatak raha hoon main ek maatr upasthiti hoon jo aapako samay-samay par aapake kandhon par mahasoos karata hai. main keval aasha karata hoon ki aap samajhen ki main kyon gaya hoon mujhe jaana hai lekin krpaya mujhe mat bhoolana**

 **Edit: Please do not post prompts or story ideas I no longer have the care or the desire to look at them. I will remove comments that bring up prompts.**


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